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2014‐2015 Program Plan [June 9, 2015] Technology Services Program Evaluation of 4

Special School District

Technology Services 2014-2015 Program Plan Summary Coordinator Doug Austin Planning Heather Murch, Bretta Slagle, Scott Stegh, Randy Name Team Barnes

Program Description Summary Description of Program The Technology Services department plans, develops, implements and supports a wide variety of technology solutions throughout SSD in order to support student learning. The department provides network connectivity in the SSD schools and central office and filters internet traffic for appropriate content as mandated by federal CIPA* guidelines. The department also maintains server infrastructure to support SSD databases, e-mail, and data storage requirements. One of the most important databases the department supports is the Exceed database for special education which stores student level IEP data and facilitates compliance with state and federal guidelines. Technology services provides technical support to users throughout SSD using a tiered model of problem solving. Purpose or Mandate The purpose of the Technology Services department is to support and facilitate all of the SSD efforts to promote student learning and operate effectively. Since technology has become an integral part of instruction, data management, decision making and communication, Technology Services touches all SSD functions in some way. Ideally, Technology Services provides transparent services to the end user to enable the users to perform their tasks as efficiently as possible. Which specific CSIP/MSIP goals does this Program support? CSIP Objective 3.1 Utilize technology applications and resources to facilitate student learning and instructional delivery. CSIP Objective 3.2 Utilize technology applications and resources to facilitate efficient and effective operations. Who are the Customers/Stakeholders?

Students Parents Staff Administrators Board of Education Taxpayers Other _______________________________

What are the Customer/Stakeholder requirements?

Reliable network access Safe and flexible internet filtering Functioning databases Efficient technology support and problem solving.

What is this program expected to accomplish? The Technology Services department is expected to design and establish a technology infrastructure that provides reliable network access to required data and to the internet. The department is also expected to collaborate with key stakeholders to design and implement data collection, storage and reporting to support

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district instructional and operational functions. Finally, the department is expected to resolve technical problems in a timely manner. Briefly describe how this Program works The Technology Services department provides services that can be grouped into three main categories:

1. Develop and maintain the infrastructure of networks and servers to provide access to data for instructional and operational functions of SSD. This service includes managing access to the internet, protection from antivirus and hacking attacks, as well providing e-mail services.

2. Develop, improve and maintain databases such as Exceed and Lawson to collect, store and report instructional and operational data. Integration of data from multiple sources is included in this service.

3. Develop and maintain a systematic process for technical support.

Internally the department gathers data on district needs and resources in order to develop a prioritized list of projects that maximizes impact on SSD processes in a cost efficient manner. What resources (type and quantity) are required to execute this plan?

Personnel resources for the department include the chief technology officer, two directors, two administrators, three managers, and twenty seven tech support staff, engineers, facilitators data base analysts and mail room staff. Other resources include the server, network and desktop hardware, software and third party services necessary to support their purpose.

Action Plan Summary Previous Cycle Goals and Outcomes 2012-2013 Overall Goals 2012-2013 Outcomes

Goal 1: Provide and maintain appropriate instructional technology resources and technical support services.

1.1 100% of SSD computers will be tracked with the Asset Tracking System 1.2 100% of service calls will be completed within 3 days for computers under warranty.

Goal 2: Implement governance strategies to improve operational effectiveness and efficiency across all programs.

2.1 Disaster Recovery Plan will be reviewed at least once a year. 2.2 100% of mission critical support systems will be monitored 2.3 Hosted technology solutions (Software as Service) will meet service level agreements. 2.4 Automated requisition approval system will be 100% implemented.

Goal 3: Promote, facilitate, and enhance parent, student, and community engagement in SSD programs.

3.1 Design process to identify needed accessibility features on SSD website. 3.2 Design system to implement needed accessibility features on SSD website. 3.3 Design process to identify desired new on-line methods and tools for instruction. 3.4 Design system to implement new on-line methods and tools for instruction.

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Goal 4: Maintain an effective and relevant Technology Plan for the district.

4.1 100 % of action steps of the current Technology plan will be complete or on target. 4.2 Goals and objectives of Technology plan will be in alignment with CSIP plan. 4.3 2013-2015 Technology Plan will be submitted to the Board of Education for approval.

Current Cycle (2014-2015) Goals and Outcomes

2014-2015 Overall Goals Expected Measurable Outcomes Goal 1: Manage Business of IT PCF* 7.1

1.1 Rollout 2 partner district dashboards, 2 SSD school dashboards and 2 other services dashboards that integrate student data from multiple sources.

Goal 2: Manage Enterprise Information PCF 7.4

2.1 Predict cycle time for Exceed projects with 80% accuracy.

Goal 3: Develop and Maintain IT Solutions (Infrastructure) PCF 7.5

3.1 Resolve requests to open internet sites in a timely manner. 3.2 Filter internet traffic to protect users. 3.3 90% of teachers in SSD schools will agree with the statement, “Reliability and speed of the network are sufficient for instructional use such as web video or progress monitoring.” 3.4 90% of teachers in SSD schools will agree with the statement, “Students have access to reliable computers and the Internet at my school for learning purposes.” 3.5 90% of teachers in SSD schools will agree with the statement, “Teachers have sufficient computer resources available for instructional use.”

Goal 4: Deliver and Support IT Services PCF 7.7

4.1 Reduce the amount of time to resolve technical problems by 10% annually. 4.2 90% of teachers in SSD schools and Partner District schools will agree with the statement, “Tech services staff provides friendly customer service.” 4.3 90% of teachers in SSD schools and Partner District schools will agree with the statement, “I am satisfied with the service provided by Technology Services.“ 4.4 90% of teachers in SSD schools will agree with the statement, “Teachers have ready access to technical support.” 4.6 Develop a systematic tiered system for resolving technical problems.

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Evaluation Plan Summary Program Evaluation Authority Program Evaluation of Technology Services is mandated by Board Policy IM. Qualitative Measures - Evaluation questions to be used

What are the major accomplishments or benefits of this program? How well did this program fulfill its purpose or mandate? What do customers and other stakeholders consider to be the strengths and opportunities for

improvement /weaknesses of the program? How well-aligned are the program’s processes with the goals of the program? What is the level of deployment of this program’s services? How should resources be changed to improve this program? How should goals be changed, added, or removed? Additional (if any)

Quantitative Measures - Evaluation questions to be used What is the status of the program’s progress toward achieving its goals?

*Operational Definitions CIPA The Children's Internet Protection Act requires that K-12 schools and libraries in the United States use Internet filters and implement other measures to protect children from harmful online content as a condition for federal funding. It was signed into law on December 21, 2000, and was found to be constitutional by the United States Supreme Court on June 23, 2003. PCF The Process Classification FrameworkSM is the most used process framework in the world. It creates a common language for organizations to communicate and define work processes comprehensively and without redundancies. Organizations are using it to support benchmarking, manage content, and perform other important performance management activities. SEIMS The Special Education Information Management & Support is a Division of Technology Services. SEIMS manages and supports the special education database, EXCEED.

2014‐2015 Program Evaluation Technology Services Page 1 of 10

Technology Services 2014-2015 Program Evaluation Report Special School District

Coordinator Doug Austin Planning Heather Murch, Bretta Slagle, Scott Stegh, Randy Name Team Barnes Evaluation Summary Purpose or Mandate The purpose of the Technology Services department is to support and facilitate all of the SSD efforts to promote student learning and operate effectively. Since technology has become an integral part of instruction, data management, decision making and communication, technology services touches all SSD functions in some way. Ideally, technology services provides transparent services to the end user to enable the users to perform their tasks as efficiently as possible.

Board Approved: 6/9/2015


Program Description The Technology Services department plans, develops, implements and supports a wide variety of technology solutions throughout SSD in order to support student learning. The department provides network connectivity in the SSD schools and central office and filters internet traffic for appropriate content as mandated by federal CIPA* guidelines. The department also maintains server infrastructure to support SSD databases, e-mail, and data storage requirements. One of the most important databases the department supports is the Exceed database for special education which stores student level IEP data and facilitates compliance with state and federal guidelines. Technology services provides technical support to users throughout SSD using a tiered model of problem solving. Logic Model – Technology Services

Inputs (Resources)

Outputs Activities Participation

Outcomes – Impact Short-term Medium Long-term

Manage Business of IT PCF 7.1 Manage Enterprise Information PCF 7.4 Develop and Maintain IT Solutions (Infrastructure) PCF 7.5 Deliver and Support IT Services PCF 7.7

Develop information plan to collect data and provide information for decision making Implement systematic approach to prioritize and implement IT Projects Maintain Exceed Rollout new features in Exceed Communicate changes to users (Exceed) Develop/Maintain network Deploy/Maintain systematic approach to tech support

Database administrator Director of Information Systems Database administrator and SEIMS* staff Database administrator and SEIMS* staff SEIMS administrator Network engineers Support desk and tech support

Basic data dictionary Prioritized list of next steps Fix bugs, adapt to compliance standards Prioritized list of features Teachers able to use system Reliable existing network Solve tech problems

Efficient rollout to partner districts System of projects optimized by impact and required resources Satisfied clients Systematic list of features optimized by impact and resources Satisfied customers Increased network availability Satisfied customers

Enterprise reporting system for student data Robust IT infrastructure and systems Reliable and compliant system Effective database for special education Community trust Resilient network available where needed Community trust and usage of the tech support process



What were the major accomplishments or benefits of this program? One of the major accomplishments of Technology Services was to manage the continuation of Exceed database services when the vendor decided not to continue support. Technology Services was able to continue database functions to keep SSD in compliance with state and federal guidelines. In addition to building a more robust infrastructure of networks and servers, Technology Services developed a tiered system of technical support that greatly reduced the amount of time needed to resolve technical problems for end users. The adoption of the Process Classification Framework (PCF)* to categorize and manage processes within the department brings it into alignment with SSD continuous improvement processes. How well did this program fulfill its purpose or mandate?

Inadequate Approaching Satisfactory Satisfactory Excellent What factors made essential contributions (+/-) to this rating? Collaboration with 22 partner district technology services departments for support and data sharing is still in early stages. Evaluation Results What is the status of the program’s progress toward achieving its goals?

Goal 1: Manage Business of IT PCF* 7.1 Measurable Objective 1: Rollout 2 partner district dashboards, 2 SSD school dashboards and 2

other services dashboards that integrate student data from multiple sources.

Results: Met or on track. 1. Four (4) Student Performance Dashboards have been rolled out

i. Webster Groves Roll‐out date: Aug 5, 2014 ii. Bayless Roll‐out date: June 1, 2015 iii. Ackerman Expected Roll‐Out date: Aug 11, 2015 iv. LItzsinger Expected Roll‐0ut date: June 1, 2015

2. Information currently being collected from the Dashboards: a. Student Data b. Assessment Data c. Attendance d. Grades e. Disciplinary Incidents

i. OSS/ISS count ii. Incident descriptions

f. One (1) Student Behavioral Dashboard has been rolled out ABA g. One (1) Related Services Dashboard on target for roll out Assistive Technology – Device

Management. Expected roll‐out date: June 1, 2015.



Goal 2: Manage Enterprise Information PCF 7.4

Measurable Objective 1: Predict cycle time for Exceed projects with 80% accuracy.

Results: Not Met. The Key West upgrade estimate did not meet the 80% target.

Project Time Estimate Actual Total Accuracy Key West 32.25 hours 149.6 hours -363%

The original prediction did not include research and testing, which was included in the actual total calculation. By including research and testing in the predictions, the model will become more accurate.

Goal 3: Develop and Maintain IT Solutions (Infrastructure) PCF 7.5

Measurable Objective 1: Resolve requests to open internet sites in a timely manner.

Results: Met. The average amount of time necessary to resolve a request to open internet sites was 5.82 hours. Requests which ultimately were rejected took longer to research and took 8.78 hours.

Status Requests Avg hours to Resolve Opened 55 0.83 Rejected 93 8.78 Total 148 5.82

Measurable Objective 2: Filter internet traffic to protect users.

Results: Met. 13,479,753 messages and connections were monitored between December 2014 and May 2015. 6,159,701 Spam messages were blocked. While the numbers do not represent targets, since they are dependent on the attacks made, they do give a measure of the scope of the filtering that is occurring.

Type 12/3/2014 12/31/2014 1/28/2015 2/25/2015 3/26/2015 4/23/2015 Total

Blocked connections 648,648 670,741 789,160 815,241 764,842 1,064,615 4,753,247

Spam medium 458,332 396,288 844,954 810,428 742,894 511,823 3,764,719

Spam high 332,654 325,040 538,033 350,240 450,048 398,967 2,394,982

Legitimate 171,465 250,032 281,131 264,486 285,541 315,537 1,568,192

Bulk messages 132,041 139,598 144,455 148,642 153,183 156,073 873,992

Other 4,406 18,464 33,530 10,845 28,043 29,333 124,621

Total 1,747,546 1,800,163 2,631,263 2,399,882 2,424,551 2,476,348 13,479,753



Measurable Objective 3: 90% of teachers in SSD schools will agree with the statement,

“Reliability and speed of the network are sufficient for instructional use such as web video or progress monitoring.”

Results: Not Met. 59% of teachers in SSD schools agreed with the statement “Reliability and speed of the network are sufficient for instructional use such as web video or progress monitoring.”

Response N Percent

Strongly Agree 38 16%

Agree 103 43%

Neutral 40 17%

Disagree 47 20%

Strongly Disagree 13 5%


“Students have access to reliable computers and the Internet at my school for learning purposes.”

Results: Not Met. 86% of teachers in SSD schools agree with the statement, “Students have access to reliable computers and the Internet at my school for learning purposes.”

Response N Percent


Agree 158 47%

Disagree 34 10%



“Teachers have sufficient computer resources available for instructional use.”

Results: Not Met. 71% of teachers in SSD schools agree with the statement, “Teachers have sufficient computer resources available for instructional use.”

Response N Percent


Agree 105 44%

Neutral 18 7%

Disagree 41 17%




Goal 4: Deliver and Support IT Services PCF 7.7 Measurable Objective 1: Reduce the amount of time to resolve technical problems by 10%

annually

Results: Met. From May of 2014 to February of 2015 the amount of time to resolve technical problems fell by 70%.

May‐14 Jul‐14 Feb‐15

Number of Work Orders 438 1104 1337

Days to close a ticket 11.5 9 3.4

Measurable Objective 2: 90% of teachers in SSD schools and Partner District schools will agree

with the statement, “Tech services staff provides friendly customer service.”

Results: Met. 98% of teachers in Partner District schools and 97% of teachers in SSD schools agree with the statement, “Tech services staff provides friendly customer service.”

Response Partner District Schools SSD Schools

N Percent N Percent

Strongly Agree 484 40% 170 49%

Agree 702 58% 166 48%

Disagree/ Strongly Disagree 24 2% 10 3%

Measurable Objective 3: 90% of teachers in SSD schools and Partner District schools will agree

with the statement, “I am satisfied with the service provided by Technology Services.“

Results: Met in SSD Schools and Not Met in Partner District schools. 93% of teachers in SSD schools and 86% of teachers in Partner District schools agree with the statement, “I am satisfied with the service provided by Technology Services.“

Response Partner District Schools SSD Schools

N Percent N Percent

Strongly Agree 374 31% 139 41%

Agree 663 55% 176 52%

Disagree/ Strongly Disagree 60 6% 24 7%

Don't Know 109 9% 0 0%




“Teachers have ready access to technical support.”

Results: Not Met. 76% of teachers in SSD schools agree with the statement, “Teachers have ready access to technical support.”

Response N Percent


Agree 117 49%

Neutral 34 14%

Disagree 20 8%


Measurable Objective 5: Develop a systematic tiered system for resolving technical problems.

Results: Met.



What do customers and other stakeholders consider to be the strengths and opportunities for improvement /weaknesses of the program? Strengths

Rollout of student data dashboards is on schedule. Review and opening of internet sites is less than 8 hours. Teachers are satisfied with Technology Services and say they provide friendly customer

service. Technical support services has a systematic approach that has led to a steep decline in the

amount of time necessary to solve technical problems.

Opportunities/Weaknesses Prediction of cycle times for rollout of Exceed projects is inaccurate. Internet filtering system filters an extremely large number of attacks. Teachers in SSD schools indicate a need for a variety of technical resources.

How well aligned are the program’s processes with the goals of the program? The program’s processes are well aligned with the goals of the program.

Deployment Level of Program Services: Services are well deployed, although deployment may vary in some areas or schools. Should resources be changed to improve this program? Yes No Should goals be changed, added or removed? Yes No Evaluation Implications General Recommendation Resulting from this Evaluation Select from the following possible recommendations resulting from the evaluation:

Continue the program as is. It is meeting or exceeding all expected outcomes. Continue the program as is with specific action plans for improvement. Expand the program, replicating effective components. Streamline, refine, or consolidate elements of the program. Redesign the program. Reevaluate the purpose and/or goals of the program. Discontinue ineffective or nonessential program components. Discontinue the program. Other (Specify.)



Action Plans Review of Action Plan progress since last report. Action Plan 1 Opportunity for Improvement Asset tracking is not systematic. Action Plan Work with purchasing, Warehouse staff, and partner districts to ensure that all SSD PCs are registered systematically with the asset tracking system. Progress on Action Plan We designed an online fixed asset form that we are piloting this summer. We will compare PCs registered with assets purchased and deployed. Eventually we will have an online data system for the entire life cycle of the PC from purchase to disposal.

Action Plan 2 Opportunity for Improvement Disaster recovery plan is not reviewed with comparison to previous years. Action Plan Design system to allow tracking and comparison with previous years for Disaster Recovery Plan. Progress on Action Plan This step is identified in one of our process improvement strategies, but we have not yet started on the implementation of this process. It will be addressed in the coming year.

Action Plan 3 Opportunity for Improvement Service level agreements with third party vendors such as SIS are not systematically reviewed. Action Plan Design monitoring system to monitor compliance with Service Level Agreements. Progress on Action Plan This step is identified in one of our process improvement strategies, but we have not yet started on the implementation of this process. It will be addressed in the coming year.

What specific actions are needed? Short-term (within the next school year) Implement the JIRA system project tracing software package for estimating timeline for upgrades to Exceed. This system will incorporate time for planning, research and testing. Add MORENET* spam filtering service to our system to filter internet traffic before it reaches us. Implement strategy 3.1.2 and 3.2.3 to provide avenues for teachers to suggest improvements to technology Enhance the survey process to capture more detail on teacher concerns about technology. Use that information to address identified topics. Explore ways to publish information on current technology projects and the rational for pursuing them to improve transparency of Technology Services to SSD staff.



Medium-term (1-2 years) Standardize on using JIRA system for all software development. Standardize Technology Services project reporting practices and publish reports to SSD staff. Work with Communications department to improve communications between Technology Services and SSD. . Long-term (3 years and more) Expand use of ITIL’s tiered model of service support from tech support to all elements of Technology Services. *Operational Definitions CIPA The Children's Internet Protection Act requires that K-12 schools and libraries in the United States use Internet filters and implement other measures to protect children from harmful online content as a condition for federal funding. It was signed into law on December 21, 2000, and was found to be constitutional by the United States Supreme Court on June 23, 2003.

ITIL formerly known as the Information Technology Infrastructure Library, is a set of practices for IT service management (ITSM) that focuses on aligning IT services with the needs of business. ITIL describes processes, procedures, tasks, and checklists which are not organization-specific, but can be applied by an organization for establishing integration with the organization's strategy, delivering value, and maintaining a minimum level of competency. It allows the organization to establish a baseline from which it can plan, implement, and measure. It is used to demonstrate compliance and to measure improvement.

MORENet Missouri Research and Education Network provides internet services, training and supports to education and library systems in Missouri. PCF The Process Classification FrameworkSM is the most used process framework in the world. It creates a common language for organizations to communicate and define work processes comprehensively and without redundancies. Organizations are using it to support benchmarking, manage content, and perform other important performance management activities. SEIMS The Special Education Information Management & Support is a Division of Technology Services. SEIMS manages and supports the special education database, EXCEED.


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